Monster Hunter: World snatches the crown for the biggest new Steam launch of the year

Capcom must be proud

Popular foreign titles typically sell pretty well when they get ported over to Western gaming platforms like Steam. The massive success of games like Dark Souls and Final Fantasy: XV is ample evidence of that.

However, Monster Hunter: World (MHW) exceeded virtually everybody's expectations when it arrived on Steam this week. As reported by PC Gamer, the game has had the biggest launch of any Japanese title in Steam history, boasting a whopping 239,779 concurrent players a few hours after launch.

That number also reportedly makes MHW the biggest new game launch of the year, regardless of its country of origin.

For the sake of comparison, MHW's initial player numbers are up there with the likes of GTA: V, which managed to gain about 360,000 initial players when the game's official PC port hit the market.

To use a more appropriate comparison, popular Japanese title Dark Souls 3 boasted a peak Steam player count of roughly 129,831 when it released on PC in 2016.

Of course, MHW's player numbers will inevitably decline over time. People might lose interest, discover their machines can't handle the game or hit some other roadblock that prevents them from enjoying it.

Still, for the time being, MHW's current player numbers are clearly well-deserved. The game has been lauded for its player-friendly "grinding" system, satisfying combat, and attractive visuals.

Time will tell if the game can maintain its audience's interest in the long term, but the future is looking pretty bright for developer Capcom.